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Muzaffar Seviyan (Sweet Vermicelli With Cardamom)
![Muzaffar Seviyan (Sweet Vermicelli With Cardamom)](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2015/07/15/dining/15EID/15EID-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4 to 5green cardamom pods
- ½teaspoon saffron
- 2tablespoons ghee, clarified butter or high-fat butter
- ½cup chopped pistachios, plus 1 tablespoon whole pistachios
- 6ounces vermicelli noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
- 1cup sugar
- 2tablespoons sweetened or unsweetened flaked coconut, for serving
- 1tablespoon raisins, for serving
- 1tablespoon slivered almonds, for serving
- 1cup khoya (thickened milk solids) or heavy cream, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Crush cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle or the side of a chef’s knife and remove seeds (discard husks).
- Step 2
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove 1 tablespoon of boiling water and use it to steep the saffron. Keep remaining water hot.
- Step 3
Heat the ghee in a wok or large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped pistachios and cardamom seeds and stir-fry until the cardamom is fragrant and the pistachios begin to lightly brown, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and add vermicelli. Cook, stirring constantly, until vermicelli is browned and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 4
Reduce heat to medium low and add boiling water and steeped saffron. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vermicelli is tender and all the water is absorbed, about 8 minutes.
- Step 5
Stir in sugar until dissolved and cook 2 minutes more. Serve warm topped with the coconut, raisins, almonds, whole pistachios and khoya.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
served it last night at a dinner party and everyone loved it. i did not have saffron so added a mix of ginger and sugar to the liquid mix. to make it richer still, i used half water and half whole milk for cooking the vermicelli. i also added dried apricot pieces and currents instead of raisins. we do not keep raisins in the house due to the danger to dogs. i used heavy cream also.
Wheat or rice vermicelli?
This is what we call payasam in South India. It is prepared on special occasions such as religious days or for weddings etc
This is a real winner. Not just another dessert, and perfect for accompanying South Asian food. I added a touch of rose water, which seemed to fit perfectly.
Wonderful dish. I added the raisins, coconut, almonds while cooking. I substituted coconut cream for the dairy, and used only half a cup. Also cut the sugar by half. Tasted great.
This is a real winner. Not just another dessert, and perfect for accompanying South Asian food. I added a touch of rose water, which seemed to fit perfectly.
Can you provide some guidance on where to find "khoya"/which brand?
You can make khoya at home by taking full cream milk (ideally non-homogenized), bringing it to a boi, adding a bit of lemon or lime juice to curdle the milk, cooking it until most of the liquid has evaporated, adding sugar just before the end. The result should be a sweet, mostly solid, yummy concoction.
Wheat or rice vermicelli?
Currants are just as dangerous to dogs
This is what we call payasam in South India. It is prepared on special occasions such as religious days or for weddings etc
served it last night at a dinner party and everyone loved it. i did not have saffron so added a mix of ginger and sugar to the liquid mix. to make it richer still, i used half water and half whole milk for cooking the vermicelli. i also added dried apricot pieces and currents instead of raisins. we do not keep raisins in the house due to the danger to dogs. i used heavy cream also.
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